<p>so I check my email today and I see one from UCI that says:</p>
<p>Dear [me]:</p>
<p>I appreciated your interest in applying to the University of California, Irvine
(UCI) for fall 2005. Although the campus did not have the capacity to offer you
admission at that time, if you have maintained your good academic performance
and UC eligibility, I am interested in speaking with you about transfer
enrollment opportunities at the University for winter 2006.</p>
<p>If you are in good standing at the California community college where you are
enrolled, and are interested in transferring to UCI to complete your
undergraduate degree, please register your interest at:
<a href="http://www.admissions.uci.edu/W06_interest.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.admissions.uci.edu/W06_interest.html</a> by Thursday, December 8. To
register at the site, you will need to include the ID number referenced at the
top portion of this email. Please note that:</p>
<pre><code> (1) our office will waive your application fee for winter 2006 and
contact you if a new application is needed;
(2) upon your confirmation of interest, you will need to complete
information on your senior high school grades and courses and
current college courses, grades and units earned at the Web site
above. You also will need to provide us with a copy of your
final official high school transcript, test scores and official
college documents by January 31, 2006;
(3) if you require campus housing, be sure to include your interest
for priority housing consideration on the Web site.
</code></pre>
<p>I know that given the timing of this communication you may have some concerns
regarding housing accommodations and financial aid for UCI. Representatives
from Campus Housing and from the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships are
prepared to work with you to provide priority housing consideration and
financial aid award transfer for winter 2006.</p>
<p>I look forward to hearing from you about your interest in transferring to UCI.</p>
<p>Thank you for your consideration.</p>
<p>Sincerely,</p>
<p>Marguerite Bonous-Hammarth, Ph.D.
Director
Office of Admissions and Relations with Schools Staff
University of California, Irvine</p>
<p>I too received this e-mail. I'm a freshman who just started college and I had applied to UCI last year, right out of high school. I was obviously rejected and now am being offered this opportunity. I think I am pretty much clueless as to the decision that I should make. However, I think the decision has inherently been made for me. My plan was to go to Pasadena City College for two years, and then apply to Caltech, UCB, and UCLA. I don't think that plan has changed and the rewards of attending one of those schools would probably be greater than those reaped from attending UCI. <em>sigh</em> My parents acknowledge this and are happy because of the whole second chance thing, which was my whole motivation at PCC. I dunno...</p>
<p>I'm pretty much in the same position as you, just attending Orange Coast College instead. I do agree it is quite a dilemma, I was also planning to be at OCC for 2 years and try to transfer into UCLA or CAL, but now with this opportunity I don't know if I can pass it up.</p>
<p>I'm just curious why UCI sent you that...I know UCSD admitted ppl for winter they rejected for fall...</p>
<p>well as for your dilemma...you could just go to UCI, then transfer as intercampus in your sophomore year...it's not that much harder than as CCC....in case you get rejected you're still in a UC...and have the dorm experience you would otherwise miss in CCC...</p>
<p>Isn't it harder to transfer from UC to UC as opposed to CCC to UC? And if I do get into UCI I would probably commute because it's not much farther away then OCC. Thanks for the advice though, I am starting to lean towards UCI just a little bit now.</p>
<p>It is up to you to choose where you will want to receive your education from. Like gabew42 said, "ALL the UC's are great schools!" Also take into consideration that is not the best UC to attend for ALL majors. Find out which UC offers the best education / resources for your major and then decide where you want to go.</p>
<p>My father recommended that I not take their offer because of the whole price package that comes with attending a UC and because he believes that I will go to a good school anyways once I transfer. I said that I don't even know if I'll be accepted by the school I am considering the minimum for transfer - UCLA. Along with that, I am probably going to apply as an Engineering major. I have this spot secured for me at UCI and I probably won't be taking it...I just don't know, hah...=/</p>
<p>I would take it. It comes down to rolling the dice. Do you want to be two years older and and still not at a Uni? What happens if you dont get into UCLA? I lived in Irvine for a while and have many friends that go there and its a wonderful school hey its OC! Bottom line is do you feel lucky? Even fi you do TAP and everyhtign else for UCLA at your CCC you still dont know for sure. Just my .02</p>
<p>"Even fi you do TAP and everyhtign else for UCLA at your CCC you still dont know for sure."</p>
<p>I disagree with that. If he really did the work at a CC, he would get in. The variable would be whether he does the work--maybe he wouldn't do well at community college.</p>
<p>Most TAPs are, for all intents and purposes, guaranteed as long as you meet the requirements. I don't know a single person who didn't get in with a TAP clinched.</p>
<p>Sadly, I can't do TAP for UCLA....=(!.......dang Engineering....unless I decide that I'm a Physics-lover lol.....</p>
<p>Anyways, would UCI be good for what I like? I visited once and it seemed like the Physics and Astro program was pretty decent...didn't see anything Engineering related though..</p>
<p>The reason they don't call it guaranteed is probably threefold:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If a student doesn't meet basic requirements that aren't a part of TAP (such as the 60 units and IGETC etc.), they can't be admitted regardless of how great their stats are.</p></li>
<li><p>Certain majors can get very competitive and some students are at the "bottom level" of TAP with their stats.</p></li>
<li><p>A guaranteed program can make the University look weak--they probably want to keep their "hard to get in to" status.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Surely, taking up UCI's offer is easy and clean because I can just go there, and it's guaranteed. However, my father argues that it will be much cheaper to attend community college for now. He believes that I will be able to get good enough stats to get into a good school that I will apply to. Obviously, there is no guarantee for transferring to any school. I will try to do the Scholars program at my community college, even though it is not recommended because I may apply as an Engineering major. I need anything that may help me in the future. I think it may be a safe plan, though I don't even know how I will fare in the classes to come. Hopefully, I will be able to get close to or beyond the average admitted GPA for Engineering students that were admitted as transfers this year, according to the statistics.</p>
<p>So I submitted my form of interest today. I'm pretty excited if this all goes through, but the one thing I'm starting to worry about is if I will be able to get the classes I will need. From what I hear from my UCI friends they have started registration for classes already. So once again I am in a dilemma, go to UCI and maybe not get the classes I need or stick to OCC where I already am registered in classes I need for next semester.</p>